Xiaomi 17 Ultra Review: specs and features, camera quality test, gaming benchmark, user opinions and photos

Xiaomi 17 Ultra – Still the Best Camera Phone

Ultra smartphones from the Chinese company Xiaomi have been delighting photography enthusiasts for years. The manufacturer somehow manages to keep their flagship cameras at a reasonable price while still offering them state-of-the-art camera modules, polished software, and top-end specifications. While the subject of today's review may not be revolutionary, it certainly follows this formula.

The new device's appearance is impressive, though it does have one drawback: its impressive size due to the enormous camera module. Unfortunately, the laws of physics can't be helped. The stylish color options of the glass or leather-look polycarbonate back panels, the metal frame, and the barely noticeable screen bezels with an integrated fingerprint scanner will be highly appreciated. The 6.9-inch AMOLED panel is slightly lower resolution than its competitors (2608x1200 pixels), but image clarity still leaves no room for criticism. Peak brightness is impressive (3500 cd/m²), color reproduction is perfectly calibrated, and there's a 120 Hz refresh rate for smoother content playback.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 12/16 GB of RAM, and Adreno 840 GPU are the dream features of not only the average user but also the most seasoned gamer. This combination, complemented by a high-quality cooling system, scores over 3.7 million points in the AnTuTu benchmark, seamlessly running all existing apps and games without significantly overheating the components. The chipset's high power consumption is also beyond reproach. The phablet's 6800mAh battery easily lasts a couple of days. Fast 90W wired charging is complemented by a 50W wireless charger. Internal storage is available in 512GB/1024GB.

Photography is the phone's main competitive advantage. The optimized and refined 50MP Omnivision Light Hunter 1050L sensor and 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPE telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom feature hybrid image stabilization and preserve the finest details even in the darkest areas of daytime and evening shots. Even dynamic action scenes deliver superb detail. The stereo sound is flagship-quality in terms of volume, frequency response uniformity, and spatial resolution. NFC contactless payment, 5G and eSIM support, IP68 water resistance, an IR port for controlling home appliances, and a stunning 50MP selfie camera round out the list of advantages of this far-from-cheap, yet near-perfect device.